Population density, when done right, is a great tool to make people happier, give them more opportunities (social, economic, cultural, etc) and reduce their environmental footprint. A big part of it is that you can reduce the amount of pollution caused by transportation and housing, the two biggest resource sinks, with walkable neighborhoods and mass transit, as well as smaller dwellings (but the city becomes your living room and playground, so the actual "living area" can be much larger than for those living in some exurb in a McMansion...).
Design makes all the difference. Central Park is designed such that tens of thousands of people can be in it at once, but you never see more than a score. Nanjing Road in Shanghai is, however, Blade Runner. Or are there only two kinds, Country Mouse and City Mouse?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday July 10 2015, @01:38PM
People do that. Thanks to the city's 24-hr culture you can do that. There is always a diner open at 4am somewhere nearby. There are 24-hr grocery stores. Bars almost never seem to close.
Washington DC delenda est.